The Fourvière Nights

The Fourvière Nights must first and foremost be a popular festival that inspires dreams. It's a celebration of openness, encounters and shared experience.

The 2026 edition marks 80 years — a milestone worth celebrating!

In 2026, The Fourvière Nights will celebrate its 80th anniversary. Yet the festival hasn't aged a bit — quite the contrary! With over 110 performances, this anniversary edition proves that Les Nuits is more vibrant than ever. 

The theme of this edition is balls!

To celebrate this anniversary, the festival is inviting you to a ball! There will be a masked ball with creatures from the Madame Arthur cabaret and queer DJ Barbara Butch, a disco night featuring a remixed playlist by French electro duo Polo & Pan, a folk night in partnership with the Soïo Mundo festival, and a dance night hosted by choreographer Philippe Decouflé, who will lead a giant dance karaoke session. 
In total, eight balls will bring the festival to life, with one ambition: to get the audience involved by inviting them to dance, sing and dress up. 

International artists

Theatre, dance, circus and, of course, concerts. More than 110 performances are organised during the festival.
The Fourvière Nights is a renowned festival that attracts numerous international artists every year. The following artists will be performing on stage in 2026:  Little Simz, Massive Attack, Jack White, Selah Sue and The Gallands, Pulp, Agnes Obel, Giorgio Poi, Darkside, Patrick Watson, Suuns, Wet Leg, Lambrini Girls, Lorde, Asaf Avidan, Charlotte Cardin, Mina Tindle et The Divine Comedy. 

2026 Teaser 

Festival highlights

Though the festival is deeply attached to the ancient Fourvière site, it aims to expand. Whether geographically by hosting festival-goers on other sites, culturally by offering visitors the opportunity to get to know artists from all over the world, or by adding further disciplines, the festival opens minds and encourages exploration.

Fourvière Nights “off” shows are an institution. Looking to expand the programme off the ancient site to make it ever more accessible, the festival has partnerships with 12 cultural venues: the Subs, the Radiant-Bellevue, the Musée des Confluences, the Halle Tony Garnier, the Maison de la danse, Blandan park, the theater Théo Argence and Lacroix-Laval Park.

Accessible shows

Because The Fourvière Nights aims to be a cultural gathering for all, the festival programme also includes accessible activities and shows. Various services will be available to enable all festival-goers to enjoy the event, including a relaxation session for people with mental disabilities, audio-descriptions and whisperers to describe visual performances, a hearing loop and tactile indicators.
If you have a disability, buy your tickets at least 15 days in advance if possible, providing information about your disability. To book tours and workshops, or for further information, please contact Les Nuits de Fourvière at [email protected] or phone the ticket office on +33(0)4 72 32 00 00

Previous editions

Always striving to be eclectic, Lyon’s festival The Fourvière Nights has welcomed a variety of leading artists over the years, such as Philippe Decouflé, Franz Ferdinand, The Libertines, Kool & The Gang, and The Black Keys... While the festival has always been centred on the history-filled site of the ancient theatres, there has been a real desire to bring artists and spectators down from the hill of Fourvière. With this in mind, the “off-site” programme has invited audiences to various venues. 

The history of Nuits de Fourvière

On 29 June 1946 at 5 p.m., French President Edouard Herriot, Mayor of Lyon, gave a historic conference at the Grand Roman Theatre to open the event. The first show put on was a play from the ancient repertoire picked to pay tribute to the venue: Aeschylus’s “The Persians”. Though Nîmes and Orange had had their festivals for some time, Lyon finally took the plunge, putting on major outdoor cultural events on a historic site.

But it wasn’t yet known as a festival. Lyon residents attended the “Soirées de Fourvière”, then the Festival de Lyon-Charbonnières for the first time in June 1949. 
Over eleven seasons, endless concerts and recitals, baroque and romantic operas, ancient and classical tragedies, ballets and comedies were organised in the two Roman theatres, churches, museum courtyards, on the cathedral square, and in the salons and gardens of Lyon-Charbonnières casino... (source Fourvière une histoire)

In 1960, it became the “Festival de Lyon” but its success varied from year to year and the programme was patchy. The festival was still looking for an identity.
Then ultimately came the ‘90s and the 49th year of the festival from 5 to 28 July 1994. This was the first “Nuit de Fourvière” as we know it. The programme featured 4 nights of blues, a Bob Dylanrecital, the group IAM, Patricia Kaas, etc. Nuit de Fourvière festival is more than ever aiming to be eclectic and international.